UT leaders seek to move past rancor

By Lauren McGaughy

July 10, 2014Updated: July 10, 2014 8:52pm

AUSTIN - "Decorum" and "communication" were the watchwords Thursday as University of Texas system leaders sought to move past a tense internal struggle over the fate of UT-Austin President Bill Powers.

Speaking at the end of a daylong board of regents meeting, outgoing Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa shed new light on the compromise he and Powers hammered out to keep the president in office until June 2015.

"I did not ask President Powers to resign because of my concerns related to the admissions at The University of Texas," Cigarroa told the board, referring to a systemwide investigation about to be launched into possible improper outside influence over admissions.

Cigarroa said the compromise was finalized Wednesday after a week of discussion between the two men and newly minted Regents Chair Paul Foster. Late last week, news broke that Cigarroa had demanded Powers' resignation; a resolution was announced Wednesday afternoon after students and faculty protested.

Foster, eager to establish a renewed semblance of order on the nine-member board, acknowledged these groups' concerns while lambasting state lawmakers, alumni groups and other "external organized support entities" for criticizing internal discussions.

"I commend President Powers and Dr. Cigarroa on their collaborative resolution to a much-publicized and highly charged conflict," said Foster, who confirmed the board will put together a committee to launch the nationwide hunt for Powers' replacement next month. "While I am pleased with the resolution reached yesterday to effect an orderly transition in leadership, I was not pleased with the manner in which some of the competing interests and tactics were used by others."

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To lawmakers who had criticized a possible leadership change at the flagship campus, Foster said, "Regents are not politicians," adding it was inappropriate for the Legislature "to try to influence personnel actions at one of our institutions." Foster also said Cigarroa had received "derogatory and sometimes threatening notes" regarding his discussions with Powers.

"I sincerely hope we never relive this unfortunate chapter in the history of our great state," he said.

'No personal threats'

After the meeting, Cigarroa would not elaborate on the notes Foster mentioned, saying he received "no personal threats at all." He did hear harsh criticisms from "many sections," Cigarroa said.

He also wouldn't say what triggered his sudden call for Powers to step down, saying "it was not one particular issue." But he did raise concerns about confidentiality - news reports about Cigarroa's private conversation with Regent Wallace Hall surfaced within 48 hours.

"Can we trust each other with communications without it going viral?" Cigarroa asked. "Because it's really hard to have a productive relationship when a chancellor and a president can't have discussions on sensitive matters."

One of the board's last tasks Thursday was to hear suggested best practices for admissions. Cigarroa listed a number of suggestions, including designating a single point person for admissions on each campus, making admissions criteria clearer and detailing the appeals process.

Admissions probe

A recent limited probe into admissions showed prospective students who had received recommendations from state lawmakers were admitted at higher rates at the flagship than others. Cigarroa said he was chiefly concerned that legislators had submitted letters of recommendation through channels outside the official admissions process.

Hall, who has led the push to oust Powers, sat silently throughout these statements and afterward declined to comment publicly. Only one regent, Alex Cranberg, weighed in, saying he was "exceptionally disappointed in the tenor and tone" of criticisms lobbed at Cigarroa and Hall in the last week.

A House panel considering Hall's personal investigations into UT-Austin under Powers is drafting articles of impeachment against Hall and will next meet July 16. But as the drama continues in the state Legislature, the general feeling among those gathered in the regents board room Thursday was a desire to move past the recent events.

Foster and Cigarroa's statements were "good advice for us all," said Regent Gene Powell, who said the board by mid-August expected to have a list of finalists to replace Cigarroa. "The board generally endorsed what they said."